1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a supplying apparatus for supplying a combustible material to a fluidized-bed gasifier chamber or a fluidized-bed combustion chamber, a gasification apparatus for gasifying a combustible material and a method for gasifying combustible materials in a fluidized-bed gasifier chamber or a fluidized-bed combustion chamber for use in a facility for gasifying or incinerating combustible materials such as municipal wastes, industrial wastes, waste plastic, biomass (thinned plants, wood chips, construction scrap wood, sludge, etc.), coal, RDF, wastes of high water contents, and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a gasification and slagging combustion method has been employed as a treatment method of combustible wastes such as various wastes. In the gasification and slagging combustion method, combustible wastes are pyrolyzed and gasified. If the amount of oxygen supplied is larger than a required amount of oxygen, then the combustible wastes are excessively combusted to increase the temperature of a furnace. In such a case, stable operation may be inhibited. Thus, it has been desired to strictly manage the amount of air to be supplied.
However, a treatment system of combustible wastes is generally operated at a pressure lower than an atmospheric pressure in many cases in order to prevent ejection of a gas. Accordingly, the treatment system is problematic in that the system cannot sufficiently prevent leakage of air from a waste supplying system, which supplies combustible wastes into a furnace. Although a mechanical device such as a sealing valve has been used to prevent leakage of air, such a mechanical device has problems such as engagement into a sealing portion and generation of a bridge at a sealing portion because of undefined shapes of wastes. Thus, it has practically been difficult to provide a sealing system to achieve stable operation.
As described above, it has been attempted in recent years to gasify combustible wastes into a generated gas without complete combustion, then purify the generated gas, and utilize the purified gas as a raw material. In such a case, if unnecessary air flows into the generated gas, then the quality of the generated gas is degraded. Therefore, a system which can stably supply combustible wastes having undefined shapes and minimize leakage of air has been desired.
This invention has been made in view of the problems described above. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide: a combustible material supplying apparatus capable of enhancing the sealing effects of a supplying system for supplying a combustible material, such as combustible wastes, to a fluidized-bed chamber, stably supplying a combustible material having an undefined shape, and reducing costs for installation; and further to provide a facility for gasifying a combustible material using the combustible material supplying apparatus; and further to provide a method of gasifying combustible materials.